DENVER, Colo. – The Regis University Baseball team split a pair of games with Montana State University Billings on Sunday evening into Monday afternoon. MSUB won, 10-9, in a seven-inning game that went into the ninth, and Regis won, 7-6, in the eighth inning of a scheduled seven-inning game. The Rangers now sit at 5-6, while the Yellowjackets are 8-4.

The first game was started on Sunday evening, and was halted due to darkness.

GAME ONE

The Yellowjackets took the first lead of the game, scoring on a wild pitch in the top of the first, but the Rangers matched with an Adam Paniagua double that brought home Garrett Rede. After a scoreless second inning, MSUB took the lead again off a three-run homer. But yet again, the Rangers responded, scoring three straight runs on three straight batters. Clay Conn stole third, then scored on an error, Zach Barnao batted in Rede, and Maxim Fullerton singled to bring in Barnao, trying the game, 4-4.

Billings scored three more runs in the top of the fourth on back-to-back singles after loading the bases. Jack Moulin launched a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth before the game was suspended.

When the game resumed on Monday, Montana State smacked a two-run home run to take the 6-5 lead. However, in the bottom of the seventh, Paniagua solo homered, and Moulin had his second home run, also scoring Fullerton and Barnao to tie the match at 9-9. The Yellowjackets scored on an RBI double in the top of the ninth, leading to the 10-9 victory.

GAME NOTES

Moulin went 2-5 with four RBIs, while Paniagua was 4-5 with two RBIs

Barnao went 2-4 with one RBI

Four other Rangers had a hit

Kaden Kirshenbaum was 3-5 with 5 RBIs and two home runs for Billings

Hayden Mullins (W, 2-0) earned the win, while Trevor Moeck (L, 0-1) recorded the loss

GAME TWO

The Yellowjackets put up a first inning run again in the second game, with a sacrifice fly, but the Rangers matched again, as Paniagua scored on a throwing error. Regis then took the lead in the second with a Conn RBI single, bringing home Tanner Rice. Billings took back the with a back-to-back RBI grounder and 2-RBI double. Fullerton's sacrifice fly scored Paniagua in the bottom of the third, and both teams added more runs in the fourth, MSUB on an RBI single, and RU on a two-RBI triple from Moulin.

Both squads also scored in the fifth, the Yellowjackets on a passed ball, and the Rangers on a wild pitch. Both teams had hits in the sixth and seventh innings, and both loaded the bases in the seventh, but it wasn't until the eighth that a run was scored, when Nolan Johnson doubled, and was brought home by a walk-off RBI single by Fullerton.

"This is who we are as a team," said Senior Pitcher Noah McCandless. "We are used to shoveling, doing the dirty work. Honestly, in games and situations like this we are having so much fun, being together in the cold."

"I was lucky enough to come into a big situation at the end there and be able to trust my guys to help us get the win."

GAME NOTES

Moulin went 2-5 with two RBIs

Conn was 2-3 with one RBI

Seven other Rangers had a hit

Ryker Fortier  was 3-5 with two RBIs

Conn stole two bases

Noah McCandless (W, 1-1) earned the win

Andy Evans (L, 0-1) recorded the loss

UP NEXT

The Rangers travel to Los Angeles on Friday, Feb 21 for a series at California State University, Los Angeles.